Red Wine Mascarpone Risotto

I’m a bit of a risotto freak. I guess it comes from all those years of not knowing what it was while growing up, so now I’m making up for lost time.

I’d basically serve risotto for any possible event. Dinner parties. Holiday events. Basically any kind of gathering that involves friends and wine. Except for weddings. I don’t think it would be good for that many people… it needs tender loving care. But for just about any other event, it’s all about the risotto.

But before we get to the risotto. Can we just discuss the fact that my wedding is 5 months and 2 days from today! Whaaaaaat? Crazy how time flies! I’m going to be Mrs. in just over 5 months. That totally blows my mind. Cray cray.

Okay. Let’s get back to the food. Risotto is seriously the perfect comforting meal to end the day. It’s simple and smooth and you can spice it up with whatever kind of flavor you want. This week I roasted a big piece of salmon that I picked up from my favorite santa monica seafood market and paired it with a red wine and mascarpone risotto. The flavor was out of this world. I literally had to do everything in my power not to grab Thomas’ plate and steal all of his risotto. It was that good. The red wine gives it a really deep flavor and fun color while the mascarpone makes it extra creamy and smooth. I threw on a handful of chives because, well, they are my favorite herb and I feel like they should be on almost everything.

This one was a complete winner. I’d make this again in a heart beat for a fun group dinner. Throw it on the table with a bottle of wine or two and you’re guaranteed a fabulous evening.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the butter and melt. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice and stir until it just begins to toast.

Continue to cook the rice for about 1 more minute and then add the wine. Once the wine has evaporated, add the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir the rice constantly and add another 1/2 cup of stock once the previous addition has been absorbed. Continue this process till you have no more stock.

Once all the stock has been absorbed, remove the rice from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese as well as chives, lemon zest and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Season with salt and stir to combine.